Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
My Rating: 4 stars out of 5
I needed to “cleanse my palate” after binge reading a fantasy series. I decided to step as far from fantasy as possible, so I ventured into the far more complex realm of…
Fact.
Astrophysics, to be precise.
What’d I learn?
I learned the universe is much bigger than I can comprehend, and we puny humans are much less significant to the universe than we imagine.
I learned I’m glad there are people who are good at Astrophysics, because I’m not.
Mostly, I learned that Astrophysics is really (Really, REALLY) complicated. Even having Neil deGrasse Tyson spell it out for me couldn’t get topics like quantum mechanics, prolate spheroids, dark matter, or E=MC2 to be more than curiosities beyond my reach.
Getting through the book was worth it just to get to the last chapter, where Neil deGrasse Tyson brings the “our universe is so big and we are so insignificant” talk to a climax with some great comparisons. For example…
Did you know there are more molecules in a cup of water than there are cups of water on Earth?
Of course you didn’t. Because you’re not an Astrophysicist.
Instead of feeling small, however, I was left feeling part of something very, very grand.
Some call it science. Some call it God. I call it both.
Interested in Astrophysics but clueless about Astrophysics? This is the book for you. You’ll still be clueless, but you’ll feel okay being clueless once you get a sense for the overwhelming complexity involved in with the physics of the universe.
It’s a big place.
Happy Reading.
One Man Book Club 
4 responses to “#AstrophysicsforPeopleinaHurry: The Universe is big and I’m dumb.”
I hear good things about this book but physics hurts me head. Despite having smart physics friends explain things to me, it never makes true sense. I chalk it up to magic. Though I loved yer review of this one and the cup of water fact. Awesome.
x The Captain
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Thanks! I’m so with you. Magic or God…It’s got to be one of the two!
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I’ve never understood the people who harp on the insignificance of us or our world. Why can’t they appreciate just how wonderfully made we are?
Well, their loss I guess…
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I may have overplayed the “humans are insignificant” message if that’s the idea you got. It’s more a message of “look at all these wonders and amazing things and ponder on how great it is that we are part of it.” The author worships science instead of acknowledging the hand of God, but he does give a nod to the idea that there is something greater than us at work. He calls it science, I call it proof of the existence of a God who uses the laws of the universe to accomplish His great works. We are indeed wonderfully made!
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